


When the Moon Rises Again

by tBrilli4ntD4rkness



Category: Original Work, Wings of Fire - Tui T. Sutherland
Genre: All the queendoms plus one, Changewings are basically "Allwings" except not quite the overpowered stereotype, Changewings have their own realm (maybe called Cheyenne), Gen, I may return but it's unlikely, Set 2000 years ago AKA Darkstalker's time, Starts off kind of dark but not terribly graphic, Wings of Fire AU, it's on the west coast - near Jade Mountain, unfinished fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:46:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23223481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tBrilli4ntD4rkness/pseuds/tBrilli4ntD4rkness
Summary: This is reposting of a fic from the Wings of Fire Wiki from three years ago, on which my username was StarlighttheNightwing. (Yes, this is my fic, world-building and all.) Since I haven't been active on the Wiki in a long time, I didn't want to risk having my work deleted, and I plan to be more active on Ao3. I haven't been invested in the Wings of Fire fandom in a couple years, so it's highly unlikely I will post anything else WoF related.If you find this, I hope you enjoy!
Relationships: Alpine & Klaartje & Nyril, Clearsight/Darkstalker (Wings of Fire), Kamara/Tyrone, Starlight & Coral & Kamara, Starlight/Tyrone, Tyrone & Synthia
Kudos: 2





	1. Lost to an Ancient Land

**Author's Note:**

> The first chapter relates some back history and sets up the history of the Changewing kingdom Before Darkstalker's time. The idea is that Changewings have the ability to switch between Pyrrhian dragon forms, or parts of forms, due to their Lost Continent DNA. (This was before the specifics of Pantala were revealed.)
> 
> **Please remember this IS an unfinished fic that most likely will NOT be continued!**

All Wings of Fire original world, material, etc, are not mine. They belong to the original author, Tui Sutherland. The characters are not based on any other fanfic or canon stories.

All of the following belong to StarlighttheNightwing. Please do not edit unless or grammatical or spelling errors (which I happen to be prone to), and do not copy story or characters at all without permission. Enjoy!

"Before the Scorching, everything was chaos, but still there was light. Now, there are rules and things are darker than they have ever been." -- Alpine

\---

Long before the Scorching, in a continent that would later be forgotten to Pyrrhian minds, a group of dragons set off westward to settle a new home, and initiate alliances. They promised to return someday, from across the open ocean from a foreign land so different from everything they took as truth . . . but they were never seen again by their home continent.

What really happened to these strange, brave dragons, is far different from any of the tales on either continent. They weren't swallowed by the sea, or eaten by monsters in their new home. In fact, they fell in love with the Pyrrhian continent, and attempted to complete their mission.

However, these dragons knew civilization powerful and rigid, and were shocked to find the residents of Pyrrhia scarcely more than nomads, running from little mammals they called scavengers. Not particularly impressed, but willing to help, the new dragons set about showing their Pyrrhian counterparts how to create the concept of society. In doing so, they migrated away from the shore village they'd created when they'd landed, and instead chose to live with different Pyrrhian tribes. It was not long before hybrids of the two races became a commonality, and something truly profound was discovered in the mixed-blood descendants: they had magic.

Not the Animus magic, the ability to control physical objects with the loss of one's soul that existed already, but a special kind. Most of the new generation could shapeshift to several different Pyrrhian forms, and many had an added ability of their Lost Continent parent. At first, they were considered to have deformities or be cripples of a sort by one or both of the races. Soon, however, it became quite clear they were a step above everyone.

Outcast from their tribes for causing such havoc, these descendants and their parents discovered a home in the mountains, where the refugees gathered to live. Taught by the colonists who has lived with SkyWings, they perfected the art of drilling out mountains. An advanced land came into being, rules by these dragons. Still, they quickly discovered that without a ruler, there were many problems.

For them, the idea of leaving back to their old home was inconceivable, not to mention the lost continent had faded from their memories. Forgotten, as their legacy would later be. A temporary position was put in place, for without any source of leadership, they would be weak in comparison to the other tribes. Meanwhile, dragons around the growing queendom were asked to join the aerial forces to protect the land, if necessary. While this was true, the subjects were also being considered for possible leadership positions.

They found their queen barely a year into the search. Both of their queens, that is, although no one knew at that time. The dragonets were siblings, possibly twins, exactly half Pyrrhian blood from their IceWing father and half lost continent blood from their mother. She was their only caretaker, as her husband had died in a hunting accident several years before.

She'd named her children Alpine and Klaartje, after the naming styles of the two kingdoms. On first sight, Alpine looked like a full-blooded IceWing, except her silver talons were not serrated, nor did she have the rows of spikes as normal IceWings did. Aqua-green eyes and shining moon-like scales completed her odd look, but this was nothing compared to Klaartje's appearance. Klaartje resembled her mother more, with an aerodynamic body, large wings, and amber eyes. Her scales ranged in color from silver-white around her head, to red-gold on her torso and a copper-brown cross around her feet. Her tail ended in a trio of spikes, something like her IceWing father's would have, long and almost glowing white.

The sisters were barely four years old, but even at that age they understood what was happening. They were being taken to be raised in the ways of the court, possibly as Queen Ascendants. They would be trained in many fighting arts, with and without weapons, and would be warriors of their people. Most of all, the sisters understood there was no going back. And they were fine with that.

They loved their people and their kingdom, and believed that as queen, either of them could keep the kingdom save. Though they didn't realize it yet, however, they were different in their wishes. One wanted to be queen to protect her people, the other wanted to protect her people to be queen, for she would come to crave power. As yet, neither knew, and perhaps it was for the best, although either way the world would be broken when either of the twins' reign was over.

In the court, Klaartje and Alpine saw each other less often than either would have liked, but both were beloved by the court. Klaartje quickly made friends with a NightWing named Nyril, who agreed to passed messages between the two sisters. Nyril was the daughter of an advisor to the throne, so she knew much about the ways of the land, though it was unlikely she would ever rule. In secret, Nyril taught the sisters about the outside world, the throne, and life in the court. Nyril, all would agree later, should have been queen.

Nyril, as most NightWings were, was dark in color, mainly black with cobalt accent scales and golden eyes. Her mix of lost continent blood had provided her with an extension of bone on the end of her tail, straight and a couple feet long, Nyril could wield it as well as any sword. She showed Klaartje how to use her tail spikes as a club, and Alpine how to block thrusts without spikes. She stayed good friends with the two even when others faded away. Nyril was different, sometimes sensing thing that would happen a few minutes before they did, despite not having inherited mind reading or prophecy from the moons at her birth.

When the time came to choose between the half dozen Queen Ascendants, Klaartje was set apart. Apline and Nyril became a part of her cabinet, and the reign of the First Queen began. Of course, Klaartje was not actually the first queen, but was considered such by the history scrolls because of her involvement of the advancement of her tribe. She formed the aerial corps into a fighting force, had the building of different wings for each dragon tribe begun, and created a Representative Council which included a dragon of each of the seven tribe appointed by their fellows to have the queen's ear.

The first Representative Council was made of Khaki the MudWing, Zahra the SandWing, Rhiannon the SkyWing, Moonshadow the NightWing, Rada the IceWIng, Mahogany the RainWing, and Jade the SeaWing. These dragons, of course, were not without their own politics. Rada and Rhiannon bickered incessantly, Moonshadow and Zahra were close friends, Mahogany and Khaki argued about territories for their tribes despite both being extremely shy otherwise, and Jade was an all-around extrovert, whose boiled down job description was Keeping the Peace. (Mostly this last was for Rada and Rhiannon.)

With the Representative Council, Regina Klaartje built the kingdom of the ChangeWings into one of the greatest known, ruling fairly and justly, for many decades. And then things changed. Alpine was the first to notice how distant and snappish Klaartje was becoming, but there was nothing she could do, but warn the court that the queen wasn't feeling herself. Of course, Alpine knew it was something more, but she wanted to consult Nyril first before she made any rash decision.

Away on the other side of the continent, placating SeaWings with several other councilors, Nyril felt a tug deep in her soul. Something's changed, she realized sadly. Klaartje's not the same. If you asked her, she'd say she didn't understand how she knew, but that she'd always understood that it would come to this.

The more distant and sharp Klaartje became, the more worried her court became, constantly checking for illness. However, they refused to be frightened yet. They didn't know how easily power could corrupt. They wouldn't learn until it was too late.

\---

It took less than a year for Klaartji's power-induced madness to take her, for she went willingly. It was just as the chill of autumn was reaching the kingdom from the north, refreshing from the blistering summer, that Klaarje could keep up the ruse of sanity no more. Under the watchful light of two moons, she crept from the palace, gliding in the dark as the traitorous moonlight flashed over her glowing scales.

Angry at the moons, confused and annoyed as to why she hadn't thought of this before, the once great queen allowed her hidden darkness to take over. She roared, a threatening vibration that send shivers down the dragon sentries, and dove back into the palace.

Believing they were under attack, which they were in a way, the palace guards hurried to evacuate the all-council members and others of high rank. Upon entering the queen's chambers, Alpine discovered deep scratches in the polished stone, and a silvery trail of blood belonging to the guard who came for her. Alpine quickly stepped back, turning and running toward Nyril's rooms. She didn't know or care if Klaarje was in her chambers. She had to warn the palace: the threat came from within; the queen is taken by madness.

Alpine would never make it. Klaartje had been behind her, and knowing how dangerous Alpine's words would be, and where she would run, Klaartje used open-air pavilions to intercept her twin just before she reached could reach the courtyard, off which Nyril's room was.

"Hello, ssister," Klaartje hissed, advancing upon Alpine. The IceWing's eyes darted frantically: she was cornered here, in a pocket of shadow, where the guards running about couldn't see her. The only way back was how she'd come, through the depths of the palace, trapped unless she found a room with a balcony. Klaartje, if she'd planned for this, had done it well.

"Why are you doing this?" Alpine demanded, trying to shove reality back into her sister's lost self.

Klaartje looked almost confused for a moment and then replied pleasantly, for all her flowery tone was worth, "Because I can. I'm queen: these are my subjects whom I've protected through war and storm. They've given their lives to me to keep save, and I have, but doesn't that mean that I own them too? If I so wish, I can take what is rightfully mine, and I am choosing to do so now." Both her voice and her eyes hardened at the end, making her frighteningly beautiful silhouette even more terrifying. (or nyril thinks later?)

Alpine stifled a gasp. "But they're yours, so you protect them. You don't kill them, or send them off to hopeless battles, or-or murder them in the middle of the night!" Or at least you didn't before, a voice in the back of her mind said.

Klaartje cocked her head curiously. "You really don't understand do you, dear sister?" And with only that for a warning, she leaped at Alpine, lips pulled back to reveal glistening, sharp teeth.

Alpine nearly slipped on the glossy floor ( _Moons curse these polished halls!_ she thought frantically) as she darted ahead of Klaartje, swerving around a corner and nearly crashing into the opposite wall.

She wasn't quite fast enough. Klaartje was upon her instantly, clawing her wing membrane and ripping it dangerously close to the bone, before going for her neck. It was only the years of training that saved Alpine's life then, or saved it momentarily anyway. Not willing to harm her sister seriously, Alpine shoved Klaartje off her and tore off down the tunnel again, spreading her wings and twisting so she could spiral up through a servant's access in the top of the side wall. Her bleeding wing leaving a tell-tail trail of silvery blood and throbbing painfully, Alpine managed to shove the access closed and sprint across the narrow chamber, slamming through the next hatch.

Gasping on the other side, Alpine's attention flicked down the two possible hallways. She ran down the one to her right, where a faint glint of moonlight promised hope. Klaartje appeared from the hatch, no longer held closed by Alpine's weight, and sprang after her, catching quickly. Reeling left, Alpine disappeared through a room to her left which had been left open when the occupant was evacuated. She knew - she hoped - that the room had a balcony.

Throwing open the curtains, Alpine was about to escape into the night when Klaartje bounded after her and threw her against the wall with her spiked tail. Pinned, Alpine threw herself at Klaartje, who had already moved in for the kill. As one, the sisters collided in a mix of claws, emotion and blood. Klaartje opened several wounds in Alpine's underbelly, but Alpine managed to bite a piece of her ear off, as well as rip a line across her neck. Stunned, Klaartje paused long enough for the desperate Alpine to escape out of the window, flapping wings that seemed to be growing heavier by the moment.

Klaartje stepped forward to pursue, but seeing how labored her sister's breaths were, she knew it wouldn't be long. She grinned like the mad-dragon she had become, and whirled around, grabbing the nearest object, and threw it after Alpine's receding form. Not waiting to see if Alpine's flight broke as planned and she crashed to the trees or not, she raced toward the only other dragon she knew could betray her, in Klaartje's death or life.

It wasn't that Klaartje thought the guards incompetent, it was more of a terrible instinct that drove her to kill those close to her first. In a twisted way, she didn't want Nyril or Alpine to see what she'd become, and so she went for them first. Spreading her wings into the slow moonset, she continued where Alpine had left off in her search for Nyril, through the open, multi-storied courtyard and up to the NightWing's rooms.

Nyril had heard the screams, and quickly barricaded the door with furniture, leaving open the window open for escape. She wasn't sure who the murderous assassin was, or at least she wasn't quite sure, until the clawsteps came toward her room, and then everything became clear. Hidden by her dark scales in a pocket of shadow and invisible from the door, a knife clutched in her talons, Nyril closed her eyes and tried to think clearly. _If this is Klaartje coming for me first, then Alpine or one of the councilors should be able to warn the city. If not--_ she didn't want to think about the _if not_.

A heavy thump resounded through Nyril's bones as Klaartje attempted to throw the door open by force. An angry growl followed, and then a pattern of footsteps backwards as Klaartje prepared to ram herself through the oak door. The wood would hold, but not for long.

Quietly, Nyril stepped toward the window, palming the dagger. A second lightning pattern of footsteps and then a crack as the door splintered partially.

"I know you're in there," Klaartje growled. "You were smart to barricade the entrance, but it won't take long to get in once the door's down." If Nyril had ever had any doubt about how thin the line was between life and death, it had vanished with this episode.

Almost to the window, she heard another splintering sound and heavy panting from the other side. _It would have been easier for her to kill us, but we've all had the luxuries of court handed to us without having to train for years._ This proved advantage as well as hindrance for Nyril, for she hadn't been involved in guard or hunting duties for quite some time.

Diving out the open window, Nyril threw open her wings and surfed along the cool night air, fighting her way high into the sky. _I have to find someone to stop her before she kills us all._

Twisting in a graceful arc, she dived behind a turret in the mountain peaks just before a silvery form came sailing out of Nyril's window toward the Council of Representatives' quarters. Beating her wings with greater determination, Nyril fled to warn the city. _They'll get her,_ she thought grimly, _even if it takes the whole army to do it._

A piercing screech sounded distantly behind her, but the queen was not Nyril's immediate threat. She was swiftly devising a way to get the city -- and royal -- guards to take her story seriously. Just before she crested the edge of the mountain, Nyril glanced back. _She wanted to help her people_ , she thought, breathing hard, _but she wanted the power more. That's why she became queen and Alpine didn't -- Alpine didn't care about the prestige or regency. She_ \-- another screech made her realized the truth glittering before her eyes all along. _Alpine was here to save us._

_Did she always know Klaartje would destroy all along? Or was it just fate?_

\---

Alpine's body was never discovered, despite the trails of her blood tracked for nearly a mile to a cliff above a large lake. It was assumed that the councillor had drowned herself, or simply lost consciousness somewhere around that area. If she had survived, she would have returned to the City already, either alone or with ChangeWing allies to subdue Klaartje. Not all of the councilors survived, either.

Khaki the MudWing, Mahogany the RainWing, and Jade the SeaWing were mourned throughout the kingdom. Zahra the SandWing had managed to inflict damage on her former queen with her poisonous tail, but died of her wounds later, leaving the grieving Moonshadow in the care of Rada the IceWing and Rhiannon the SkyWing, who had become friends despite their differences. (Albeit, friends whose conversations mostly consisted of arguments.)

Nyril stubbornly refused to be cowed by the event, and later became the most senior councilor to the new queen, a SeaWing youth who ruled with great care, but was rather feisty. Nyril took Moonshadow's place among the Council of Representatives, along with Rada and Rhiannon retaining their former positions. Though the Council was renewed, it was disbanded several years later, leaving only Nyril in the palace service. Of the other three original members, Rhiannon proved to be a great hunter, and her IceWing counterpart became a commander in the aerial forces. Moonshadow died several years later, and though it was never publicly announced, all who'd known her close friendship with Zahra suspected depression.

Though the ChangeWing kingdom was left rattled, but the strength of diversity kept them pulled out of the feat everytime it threatened to overtake them. Perhaps the ex-regina would have become a ghost story, if not for two young dragons' intervention. Nyril's daughter, Sonora, met a kindred spirit before reaching adulthood. Nayarit was fearless, protective, and brimming with curiosity. Her origins were unknown, having come to the tribe as a newly hatched dragonet, and taken under the wing of Rhiannon, of all dragons. The tiny SandWing mainform dragonet and the ex-council member SkyWing bonded instantly, and while Naya's supposed ChangeWing parents were never found, she never was without family. (Rada the IceWing, a fighter until the end, only made peace with Rhiannon over losing custody of the dragonet herself when Nayarit approached her several years later.)

Nayarit and Sonora didn't set out to make history, but inadvertantly obtained fame with their quest for truth . . . and Ambassador Alpine as well, although they refused to admit it. It was half a decade before Sonora finally returned, abounding in knowledge and secrets. Most of her adventurous tales she took to her grave, along with the secret of Nayarit. The NightWing and her dear SandWing friend had been separated sometime through their adventures, and although Sonora spent almost two years looking for her, she was never found. Or at least, the way Sonora told it, she never was-- Nyril gave up trying to get a straight story out of her daughter and relaxed in her retirement, most likely haunted by her own adventures, triumphs, and lost friends. Mother and daughter, having won many battles in their day, were too alike for comfort. Luckily, a pattern never developed, for Inga, Sonora's child, never grew up in their shadows.

Perhaps Nyril's small Gift of foreshadow allowed her to understand something would happen, for she left a secret of her own buried in the depths of the old palace, most of which was later demolished and rebuilt for extra security and added chambers; the new 'palace' was really more like the City with which it was combined. In her will, Nyril declared only her descendants able to open this crypt, which wouldn't be a problem, since the space was never found.

However, many centuries later, a dragonet with scales blacker than night would be born, and by the time her story had been around less than a decade, she would have but one choice left to her: fight for freedom, or die in darkness, having never seen the full extent of light or shadow. Her name was woven of threads of light, as was her soul; thrice moonborn she was, and just as powerful as any fireborn SkyWing, gentle and fierce and caring in her own way.


	2. Moon-Born

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Life is a river, Starlight. You've just been lucky enough to avoid learning the truth of it. The same way the displacement of a single riverstone can cause major change in the riverbed, one dragon's decisions can change the world. Legends are made from faults -- a mistake for a story, or not at all." Mynah

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which the first mysteries of Changewing bonding are encountered, and my younger self makes a few fairly useless namedrops.

Centuries after the trials of Klaartje, Nyril's next descendant was born under the light of three full moons. Two dragons were bound by these moons, on different parts of the same continent. Both were NightWing, at least in part, and were destined for strange things. Neither would meet the other until it was too late and their fates were sealed in their choices.

But for now, everything was just a possibility in a vast field of choices and consequences and actions, all too far away to unravel. It was with these possibilities-- with the gifts to see these possibilities -- that a NightWing-ChangeWing was born.

She had scales darker than night, offset by patterns of constellations across her wings, and a small scythe-shaped bone at the end of her tail. The scythe was from her ancestor Nyril, having adapted from a sword form into a compact, sharp, double-horned weapon. Oddest of all, the newly hatched Nightwing had double-colored eyes which captured the moonlight. On the outer iris, they shone with midnight-blue radiance, while closer to her pupil, they were bright zircon, with no transition in between.

Before the -- very-- young NightWing had much more than a chance to look up in admiration of the moons shining upon her and the broken silvery eggshell, soft talonfalls interrupted the quiet. A small SeaWing only about a month older than her NightWing counterpart burst between where the newly hatched dragonet's proud parents stood.

Just behind her errant daughter, an apologetic SeaWing mother panted quietly. "Coral, come here! Coral!" To the NightWing's parents she added, "I'm sorry, she got away from me. Coral!"

The SeaWing, Coral, heard but didn't obey. Instead she took the tiny NightWing's talons in her own, and nuzzled her cheek against the NightWing's gently. Coral startled back as the NightWing's tongue flicked her face, but came forward again.

"Starlight," Coral whispered, quiet but firm, though the wind could have blown the sound away easily. "You call Starlight." Her words were broken -- it was a wonder she knew them at all -- but it was clear that the dragonet, not Starlight's parents, had just named her.

Coral's mother, worried about disturbing the new family, reached for her daughter, but was stopped by the NightWing's mother. "Look," Salunki whispered. "They're bonding."

Indeed, the dragonets had curled up together, watching the stars as they drifted off to sleep. "But . . . it's so rare . . . " the Seawing didn't have to finish. Any dragonets who met each other just after hatching always became close friends, and usually went on to become important in the tribe. All three parents, NightWing, RainWing, and SeaWing, watched the dragonets for a quiet moment.

"I'll tell the queen, Salunki," Starlight's NightWing father said at last. "That seems best, with what's happened here." The RainWing nodded, watching for a moment as her mate flew away. It was possible that what had happened was a fluke, that neither was destined, but between Coral's calling to come and Starlight's strong powers from the moons, it was very unlikely.

Both mothers watched their dragonets rest in the stillness of the night, as the moons rose higher and stars began to fade, blissfully unaware what a truly important role their daughters wold play in their tribe's fate. None of them would know to be free from doubt or worry, not until later.

Later, when forces would collide. Two things happened this star-crossed night. First, a great pair of friends had been joined -- in a couple of months to meet a SkyWing as well. Second, the two moon-born dragonets, while never knowing each other, some of the most powerful dragons in the world. One of them would change the world, and the other would have to choose. It was only a matter of who erred first, for neither would be free from mistakes. Legends were to be told, either way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three moons, there was practically a typo a paragraph in that.  
> Disappointment in my younger self for leaving such blatant unprofessionalisms! (As I make up words.)


	3. Bonds of Infinity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Several three-year old dragonet bondmates go pester their royal friends.
> 
> Also, half the time Kamara's name is spelled 'Kamra', so who can say.

"Hurry up, Starlight!" The young SkyWing called. "We're going to miss it if you don't!" Grumbling, Starlight flapped her wings a little harder. Coral lagged behind her, lazily flapping, so why wasn't Kamara yelling at her?

"Azalea and Tyrone are going to be there, too. It's going to be the last we can see them for a while," Coral added helpfully, trying to add spur to their flight. The eldest royal siblings usually found a way to hang out with 'less dry, and much less boring' commoners, as Azalea said, and had become close friends with Coral, Starlight, and Kamara for all their rank and age difference.

Starlight didn't need reminding. She'd been mentally clocking down the days until Prince Tyrone and Princess Azalea, the heir apparent, departed for the desert for their first diplomatic mission. At age 5 (and slightly more than 5), the oldest children of Queen Olivine were only a couple years older than Starlight and her friends, but already were preparing to lead the kingdom.

"You can go on ahead if you want, Kamara. We're only slowing you down," Starlight said to her SkyWing friend. It wasn't just a matter of Kamara's naturally large wings, but also that her inherited ChangeWing ability was speed. As a result, Kamara was probably the fastest dragon in the tribe, and would almost certainly be among the finest in the world.

"Nonsense!" Kamara yelled back. For all her bluster of leaving them behind, she'd never actually do so. _Partly because of Coral_ , Starlight thought. The SeaWing had trouble mastering her flight, as she spent much of her time trying to tame her magical 'fjre abilities.

Before the sometimes less-than-tactful Kamara could point this out, Starlight added "Didn't they say the Bonding is going to be soon?"

"Really?!" Kamara and Coral nearly chorused.

It was something they'd all been looking forward to for a while. At age 4, the ChangeWing tribe permitted the ancient custom of Bonding. The ceremony was one almost all participated in, as groups of close friends would be Bound together. Often, the dragonets would be able to feel the general direction of where their friends were after wards. Once full grown after their 7th birthday, the bound dragonets would transfer parts of their ChangeWing inheritance to their friends as well. For these three, it meant Starlight's NightWing powers, Kamara's speed, and Coral's magic.

Starlight smiled, "Yup. I overheard our teacher just yesterday saying something about it . . ."

Landing on a rocky ledge so she could look back at them, Kamara raised one eyebrow. "Saying something about it, or thinking it, Starlight?"

Both Coral and Kamara knew firsthand how well Starlight's mind reading came in handy, especially if the parents of said dragonets were not pleased with them and it would be a good idea to disappear suddenly. Normally this was all the mind reading that was allowed in the tribe, but Starlight was too independent and was easily fed up with all the rules. 'It's like they've spread tripwires out for us, only in the form of guidance,' she often said. When important events came across her viewscreen, Starlight often 'accidentally' let her mental shields drop.

"Well, okay, maybe I heard part of it outloud," Starlight amended, guilty.

Coral chuckled softly, flying ahead of them. "I don't see why you berat her on this all the time, Kamara. You're just as guilty."

"For WHAT, taking information that someone gave to me?!" Kamara responded, catching up with ease.

"Nope. For spying, and then rocketing away so they won't find out. Think I didn't notice when my pantry is mysteriously empyting itself, or the supplies from school that you always lose but somehow replace overnight? You're quiet the thief of the physical."

"And you benefit too," Kamara snapped back. "Besides, don't be telling me that you haven't used your 'fjre once or twice for something mundane." Fjri was what the ChangeWings called their magical powers, with different prefixes from their ancient tongue to describe what type it was.

"Hey, hey," Starlight interrupted, not that she had a problem with the argument. "There they are."

The dragonets had reached the platform where the royal duo was going to take off soon.The prince, a firescales SkyWing, had been learning to control his fire, and his progress showed in only a small haze of smoke surrounding him. Tyrone's older sister and the heir apparent, Princess Azalea, stood with her RainWing head held high. Most of the dragonets Azalea's age (or any, for that matter) envied her. Azalea was one of only a few dozen ChangeWings with the ability to shapeshift to multiple tribes. Azalea's teachers had taught her how to transform into any tribe, with varying degrees of success, but her most common form to the public view was RainWing.

Starlight knew this wasn't actually her favorite form, which was SeaWing, and she knew there was a long story behind the whole thing, which she hadn't been allowed to hear as yet. Her parents had fantastic mental shields, after living with their strongly gifted daughter for several years, as did all the royal family and noble-teachers, a necessary requirement for any dragon who might possess vital information.

Before Starlight could get more than a glimpse of Queen Olivine standing majestically in her shimmering RainWing form and jewels of status, which were slightly less than her full court regalia, a young ChangeWing came bounding up to where her mother stood just behind her older siblings. This was the youngest princess, Synthia, and her mainform was a rare one--an actual combination of all the tribes. A SandWing venom bard and scales along her tail, along with large SkyWing wings, SeaWing webbed feet, and bright pink RainWing head were some of the more noticeable. Starlight knew that the majority of Synthia's scales were IceWing, as well as her firesacks being filled with frostbreath instead. Strong MudWing legs and torso were denoted by amber scales along her underbelly, making it very clear Synthia's wrestling abilities were not to trifle with. Oddly enough, Synthia had no NightWing abilities or scales other than a starry pattern of silver scales on her crimson wings.

The youngest Princess, only a year and a half old but very intelligent for her age, gave quick hugs to both of her siblings, and didn't protest when her mother lifted her off the ground and onto her back. While Starlight knew that only Tyrone and Azalea were leaving for the Kingdom of Sand, it still felt like they were all going. This was amplified by the fact that a dozen guards surrounded the royal family, most of which would be leaving for the mission.

Starlight could tell when Azalea noticed them, because she immediately waved them over. It wasn't like the three were hard too miss--even in the ChangeWing kingdom there were stereotypes, and having three dragons of otherwise enemy tribes as best friends was a little weird.

It was only when Starlight had touched down in front of Azalea did she realize how worried the princess looked. "Hey," she tried to comfort, "It's just a trip into the desert."

"A trip into the desert where I'm supposed to negotiate with SandWing officials on the border lines, like Mother did last year, because nobody's happy we own these mountains." Azalea's calm blue color became a little more green with fear, but she quickly shifted her scales back.

Starlight knew all too well. Once the other tribes had started to expand, claiming more territory and running into the ChangeWings more often, they realize the ChangeWings had control of a varied portion of land that several tribes wanted. The MudWings argued over the large lake under ChangeWing control, the NightWings and SkyWings both wanted the mountain range the dragons lived in, the SandWings declared all of the desert of theirs and theirs alone, and it was all the queen could do to keep the RainWings from declaring war over a part of the raiforest claimed by the ChangeWings. Since the SandWings were the least volatile of the bunch, as none of their precious oasis were in the part of the desert owned by the ChangeWings, there were often negotiations with them, and an alliance was being considered.

"I wish the queen didn't think that you need to learn how to negotiate, or at least not send you off to an on-going stalemate, anyways," Kamara put in, and Starlight nodded agreement.

"You mean you want to be able to protect us because you don't trust the guards?" Azalea said with a smile. It did sound absurd when she put it like that-- two dragonets learning the basics of fighting could hardly be any help, especially when Azalae and Tyrone themselves had enough battle training to take down almost anyone.

Just then Tyrone approached his sister and friends, eyes dancing merrily in the sunlight. Leaning forward, he whispered in the ChangeWing ancient language, one they were all required to learn, "You'd best get back to your studies before anyone notices you're missing. Whatever excuse you came up with can't last much longer."

Guiltily the three dragonets glanced at each other They'd coordinated their excuses, but even being in different classes at this time of day, it wouldn't take the teachers long to find out what really went down. Coral had claimed she had a stomach ache, and might be sick if she didn't get some water, Kamara said she'd seen Coral running to the nurses' office, and wanted to check on her, and Starlight said she'd not seen Kamara all day and was going to drag her into class.

The excuses worked, both because all three were straight-A students and had never been caught at doing anything wrong -- caught being the operative word -- and because these occurrences actually happened. As a side effect from her magic, Coral was sometimes sick in one way or another, and Kamara sometimes tried to skip class but was always brought in by one of her friends, who said they couldn't live without her, but really didn't want to see her in trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The F/M tag is insurance incase I ever continue this, because I originally planned for a non platonic ship. (Shocker.)  
> Take a gander, given the MC.


	4. Character and Plot History

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is info regarding the characters and world of When the Moon Rises Again, both during and after Darkstalker's time. The fact they can hibernate for 2000 years at all does cross the line into Mary-Sue territory, but forgive my middle schooler fantasies.

First, some explanations of terminology:

 **'Fjre** \- ChangeWing magic, usually not genetic and typically available no matter the dragon's currently tribe form.  
**ChangeWing/ChangeTribe kingdom** \- centered in the range of Jade Mountain, stretching laterally from the western foothills on the desert edge to the rainforest in the east, and from the Claws of the Clouds's southernmost river down to the south sea.  
**Bonding process** \- allows limited sharing of 'fjre abilities between bondmates. Those with NightWing powers may have an extra sense of where their bondmates are.  
**Pyrrhian ancient languages** \- before the Scorching and the standardization of Pyrrhian language, several dialects existed among the tribes. ChangeWings are required to study one of these, typically corresponding with their mainform, and the ChangeWing creole (Lost Continent and Pyrrhian tongues) in addition to standardized Pyrrhian. Since few dragon still speak the old dialects, these courses are more to keep the knowledge alive than for diplomacy purposes.  
**ChangeWing ruling system** \- similar to what _The Lost Heir_ shows the SeaWing method to be: a queen with educated nobles or dragons of specialized ability around her.  
**New ChangeWing council** (courtesy of Starlight) - consisting of one dragon for each Pyrrhian tribe after the manner of Regina Klaartje's first council, these dragons were chosen over a century to be the first leaders the rebooted ChangeWing kingdom. Starlight the Wanderer specifically chose dragonets and eggs that would have been killed or destroyed before they could affect Pyrrhian life, hiding them in stasis and teaching them through dreams until the end of the Twenty Years' War. (Kabul MW, Basalt SaW, Aspen SkW, Laputa SeW, Caiman RW, Antarctica IW, Shadowhunter NW. Skydancer is a hybrid who took the place of another dragonet who died, Kataa CW.)  
**Tritribe Alliance** \- ChangeWing misnomer for the coalition of tribes which destroyed their home, a pact by Queen Scorpion of the SandWings, Queen Diamond of the IceWings, Queen Carmine of the SkyWings, Queen Crane of the MudWings, and Queen Pearl of the SeaWings.  
**Twenty Years' War** \- called the War of the SandWing Succession or Great War by most current-day Pyrrhians, as it is the most recent and devastating war in the public mind.  
**Battle of Cheyenne Mountain** \- what the destruction of the ChangeWing tribe is called in the few histories which mention it.  
**Darkstalker's War** \- the clash between the IceWing and NightWing tribes above Jade Mountain (at the end of the second arc).

~-~ ChangeWings ~-~  
Description: depends on a dragon's current form or mainform  
Abilities: most can change tribal appearance at will, with genetic abilities of that tribe; those with stronger Lost Continent connections have a personalized gift of 'fjre available no matter form; typically have no magic beyond 'fjre (NightWing or animus)  
Queen: Queen Olivine, has the power to create short-distance portals through which dragons or supplies can be sent

 **Plot at large:** _Exile_  
**Darkstalker's hatching:**  
Starlight is hatched under the same three moons as Darkstalker, gifting her with strong NightWing abilities because of her mainform. She and Coral are already selected as powerful representatives of the tribe, and weapons as needed (with their respective abilities), when the ChangeWing council learns of the NightWing tribe's new animus. Unlike the SandWings who negotiate a treaty allowing the IceWing-NightWing war to continue without interference as long as both belligerents stay away from oases, the ChangeWings choose an aggressive neutrality so as not to risk losing their widely disputed and heavily fortified mountain foothold. Heavily monitored and tenuous stability is achieved despite the war, with Princess Azalea's diplomacy achieving a RainWing-SandWing-ChangeWing trade system and mutual nonaggression pact, while Prince Tyrone takes Kamara to negotiate a similar agreement with the Sky Kingdom. On the eve of war, an alliance is being considered between the NightWing and ChangeWing tribes through the marriage of Princess Synthia - the NightWings being a less purist tribe through Queen Vigilance's interest (after IceWing animus magic being brought to the tribe) in ChangeWing blood powers.  
**After Darkstalker's 'death' and the NightWing flight:**  
Scarce days after Darkstalker's presumed death the continent learns of his ambitions, and due to their near-alliance with the NightWing tribe and their mysterious magics, the ChangeWings are considered too dangerous to live and a coalition of tribes is formed for mass genocide. The Queen Anaconda chooses not to not violate the nonaggression pact, and the RainWings remain neutral when IceWing-lead wrath is vented upon the kingdom. The five tribes' army consists largely of SandWings and SkyWings - both kingdoms that have been involved in recent chaos of animus origin - with IceWing leadership concerned about the possibility of overpowered ChangeWings continuing the Night-Ice war on their weakened kingdom.  
During the attack, a group of SkyWings bypass ChangeWing defenses to plant dragonflame cactus bombs across the mountain. Between the explosion and subsequent rupture of the mountain, the direct battle overhead, and vigilant search parties catching stray dragons, nearly the entire tribe is annihilated. Several ChangeWings are taken back captive into the Sky Kingdom - where there are dungeons to hold them, and in which they will not suffocate or freeze in short order - including the ChangeWing traitor who facilitated the mountain's destruction, Kamara.  
With less than a hundred survivors, weak and unable to establish a stronghold but too many to effectively hide together for long, ChangeWings of all ages become spies and live in other kingdoms. Princess Synthia and a small number of ChangeWings shield themselves in the cavernous remains of the SeaWing's Island Palace, learn of Kamara's betrayal and residence in the Sky Kingdom, and of the sudden disappearance of the entire NightWing tribe (knowledge which only the council and royal family had learned hours before attack). After a couple decades, the risk of ChangeWing blood powers showing up in another kingdom become too great, and the still-surviving ChangeWing populace is hidden in four locations sealed with Synthia's power - deep underground in the ice, underneath mountains in the Sky and Mud Kingdoms, and in the thick mangroves of a barrier island to the rainforest.  
Several attempts are made in the following thousand years to reestablish an undercover ChangeWing homeland, but each time fails due to remaining prejudices and weakening subjects. Finally, the third daughter who should never have had to be queen decides to send her dragons into an extended sleep, for as long as it takes to find peace. Other than a few ChangeWings who stay awake to protect their sleeping tribemates, the last members of the Kingdom are now ensconced underground until the world forgets about their existence.  
The tribe awakens nearly a century before the Twenty Years' War, hoping to finally find a world of possibility and no other choice but to take it, as the princess' 'fjre-infused chambers have used the last of their and her power. At some point, the island location collapsed, killing most of the dragons in stasis while the rest joined with the few outside ChangeWing bloodlines to protect. All the encapsulated ChangeWings experience diluted powers and many cannot change form at all, while those outside the chambers are nearly regular Pyrrhians except for the history of their blood and their duty to protect the last of their tribe.  
The ChangeWings establish a seaside merchant town in an effort to pass tribal diversity off as the hazards of commerce, allowing them a respite living on the tail of Pyrrhia until the Twenty Years' War, at which point many ChangeWings are conscripted by their apparent 'kingdoms' and die alongside hundreds of other Pyrrhians.  
**After Darkstalker's awakening:**  
Similar to the NightWing exodus and rebuilding in the rainforest, ChangeWings have been able to coalesce in their town with a stronghold. Queen Synthia has not widely acknowledged ChangeWing existence, and is merely the venerable leader to an odd merchant town, working with the group of younger dragons who will succeed her as a council. It is clear ChangeWing influence and magic will never be what it was, and so the tribe focuses on improving their technology and making themselves an invaluable part of continental commerce, peaceful practices, and intellectual exchange between tribes. The new ChangeWing council are in fact not ChangeWing at all, and instead from hail all tribes and across the last century, chosen by Starlight the Wanderer as dragonets who would otherwise have died without affect to the timeline. They better represent their future subjects, strange and magicless examples of a uniting world. The representatives include: Basalt the SandWing, youngest sibling of Queen Oasis; Laputa the SeaWing, hatchsister of Princess Orca; Shadowfern the NightWing, hatched to a family of assassins.

\---

 **Azalea**  
**Description, lineage, and abilities:**  
Oldest daughter of Queen Olivine and heir apparent. Her 'fjre talent is a state secret, but she speaks of the alternate timeline in Starlight's vision. Preferred mainform is SeaWing but due to Olivine's overbearing influence, stays in RainWing form for all official matters - most subjects believe this is her chosen mainform. Bright green eyes no matter her form, and small gills even as a RainWing. Three years older than the MCs, Starlight & Co.  
**Before the fall of the ChangeWing kingdom:**  
As crown princess, Azalea never chose bondmates, but often 'tolerates' the company of Tyrone's friends when she isn't on diplomatic missions. As one of her few escapes from her mother's rule, she visits the west seashore and is thought to be an eccentric SeaWing by the SandWing village in the area. In the attack on the ChangeWing palace, Azalea disappears while organizing defenses and is presumed dead.  
**Interim 2000 years and awakening:**  
Injured and abandoned, Azalea makes her way to the RainWing kingdom, a tribe that chose not to participate in the genocidal attack, under the guise of a vagrant trader caught in the bloodshed. The RainWings of an outlying village care for her wounds, and choose not to reveal her true origins to the authorities. After several decades, with her sudden appearance and slower aging becoming suspect, Azalea flies to the west sea and finds she has become trapped in her RainWing form, having been unable to transform often enough. She makes a hidden chamber for herself near the sea, and uses her sister Synthia's gift in order to hibernate without dying.  
Synthia's charm, already used to slow Azalea's aging in the RainWing village, does not last as long as the others', and she is awakened early in Queen Oasis' reign. Azalea meets Basalt as a young dragonet, and the SandWing later recounts Azalea's history for Starlight. She is not present for the ChangeWing rebuilding, nor is she one of the Three Spirits that continue to advise the young ChangeWing council.

 **Tyrone**  
**Description, lineage, and abilities:**  
Oldest son of Queen Olivine, will become head of the council by adulthood. Mainform is mostly orange SkyWing with amber eyes. His 'fjre gift is firescales equivalents in all his forms - eg: extreme SandWing or RainWing venom, icescales. Not quite two years older than the MC Starlight.  
**Before the fall of the ChangeWing kingdom:**  
Like his sisters, Tyrone never has official bondmates, but he is close with his younger sister and the noblechildren Kamara, Starlight, and their friend Coral. The four of them often travel around the (relatively small) ChangeWing kingdom with his royal pass, improving their magics and involving themselves in village life. By the time of the large-scale attack, Tyrone is commander of a force that's the main military defense against the other tribes. As such, Tyrone is fighting during the explosion and subsequent fall of the mountain, and sends his remaining forces to guard the survivors in their escape. Tyrone himself is later found with a broken wing by the reanimated Coral.  
**Interim 2000 years and awakening:**  
Using both her soulfire 'fjre and Tyrone's age-charm from Synthia, Coral heals Tyrone and sends him into a sleep that lasts through Darkstalker's War. In the wake of destruction across the continent, Tyrone takes on an IceWing form to assist building a ChangeWing sanctuary and becomes the Ice Kingdom ambassador until his death a few years later. Due to the use of soulfire earlier in his life, Tyrone becomes one of the Three spirits until the next member of the ChangeWing council takes his place.  
Although Tyrone reconcils with Synthia in her last years, he never rekindles his relationship with either Kamara or Starlight, and only meets the SkyWing traitor during her reanimated trial, after her assassination.

 **Synthia**  
**Description, lineage, and abilities:**  
Younger daughter of Queen Olivine, not involved in large-scale diplomacy as her older siblings are. Mainform ChangeWing from a young age, a rare talent. Her 'fjre is the ability to increase or slow aging. She gives her siblings and Tyrone's friends, as well the ChangeWing council members, each a small amulet charm on the recommendation of a prophecy shortly before the fall of the ChangeWing kingdom. These amulets allow the wearer to physically enter a comatose state, preserving their body while their mind is aware in active dreaming. Synthia is not quite two years younger than Starlight's friends.  
**Before the fall of the ChangeWing kingdom:**  
As the third dragonet of the queen, Synthia is unlikely to have a position of importance, and spends much of her time with scientists and historians across the continent in an effort to establish rapport and share inventions. It is through this training Synthia learns the full scope of her abilities, and is able to take advantage of their side affects for her experiments. When creating the amulets, Synthia imbues them with such longevity that she has to be hospitalized, and it is theorized that she permanently used up part of her lifespan in the process. In the attack on the mountain, she's sent through one of Olivine's portals and leads the refugees of the kingdom and remainder of the military away.  
**Interim 2000 years and awakening:**  
Synthia learns of the Kamara's defection and the sudden disappearance of the entire NightWing tribe through the ChangeWings living as spies. Ultimately she uses her magic to seal four hidden chambers, allowing her tribe to outlive the persecution of their time. Synthia is awakened along with the remnants of the weakened tribe a century before the Twenty Years' War, and establishes a small merchant town on the tail of Pyrrhia. Using what remains of her depleted magic to remain alive long enough to see her tribe to safety, Synthia survives to see Starlight's new ChangeWing council take over and meet Tyrone. She refuses Coral's offer to become one of the Three spirits, having far outlived any world recognizable as her own, and chooses to fade away instead. Her last order as queen is to briefly reanimate Kamara using soulfire for a trial by the new council, out of a sense of justice and for the respect of the dragon she once was.

 **Coral**  
**Description, lineage, and abilities:**  
Daughter of a midrank family, Coral's influence stems from her 'fjre and in lesser part her chosen bondmates. Her soulfire is equivalent to animus magic - called heartfire by ChangeWings - but is not genetic, and steals away physical strength and health instead of a dragon's soul. Soulfire is rumored to reanimate a dead spirit for short periods of time, but no soulfire practitioner has been hatched in nearly a century, leaving the theory unsubstantiated. As part of her bonding, Coral receives added speed from Kamara and limited future sight from Starlight. Coral is a mainform SeaWing with spiraling patterns of light and dark blue scales, and light blue eyes the same color as her magic in any form. She is the oldest of the three by a small margin, a moon more than Starlight and three more than Kamara.  
**Before the fall of the ChangeWing kingdom:**  
Due to her soulfire ability, Coral's training prepares her for extended magic use and to be an advisor to the queens. She and Azalea often work together on assignment and have developed a mutual trust and respect. In the adventures of her bondmates and Tyrone, Coral often finds herself the voice of reason, but doesn't mind the chaos in her escapes from court life. Coral had been sent on assignment outside the kingdom before the attack began, and returns home via water-portal in the depths of the mountain palace hoping to arrive before the attack. Instead, she surfaces just as the portal cavern collapses, gravely wounding and trapping her. Starlight finds her using their bond connection and her own strong mindreading abilities. Near death, Coral gifts her the age-charm she received from Synthia, and demands she escape using Olivine's portals. After Starlight is safely away, Coral uses her soulfire to free her soul from her dying body and stabilize it, allowing her semi-corporeality and continued life.  
**Interim 2000 years and awakening:**  
As she leaves the soon-to-explode palace in spirit-form, Coral passes Kamara leading a group of SkyWings deeper into palace tunnels and learns of her betrayal; on the battlefield, she finds a half-concussed and bleeding Tyrone and hides the two of them. Using her soulfire and his charm from Synthia, she ensures he will stay in stasis until such time as she can awaken him. Coral herself no longer has need of corporeal concerns and uses her near-invisibility and extended time to travel Pyrrhia for information. She finds Kamara in her stasis chamber, familiarizes herself with the locations of all ChangeWing survivors including Azalea, and stay up to date with the changing Pyrrhian tribes - only the NightWings are lost to her view. Coral most often watches Starlight and the dying ChangeWing bloodline, never revealing herself and periodically fading away to conserve soulfire.  
During the Twenty Years' War, Coral discovers the NightWing island and makes herself known to Synthia in the ChangeWing merchant town. After Darkstalker's War she awakens Tyrone, rejoins the ChangeWings as a Spirit, and officiates over both Kamara's duel with Starlight and her reanimated trial. Coral uses her knowledge gathered over the better part of two thousand years to aid her tribe after Synthia's death, and choice not to reanimate.

 **Starlight**  
**Description, lineage, and abilities:**  
The main protagonist and daughter of a lesser noble family, originally descended from the NightWing-ChangeWing Nyril through Inga. Starlight's NightWing mainform has scales so black she can be seen silhouetted against the night sky, and her silvery star scales appear to glow. She has bicolored blue eyes no matter her form: a ring of bright zircon near the pupil followed by a midnight blue ring on the outside of the iris. Starlight was hatched thrice-moonborn on the same night as Darkstalker, and one night before Whiteout. As such, she has strong gifts of prophecy and mindreading in all her forms, as well as a bone-spur scythelike tail genetically passed through her family. In her bonding with Coral and Kamara, she receives a small gift of soulfire and added speed, and gives each NightWing powers in accordance with the nights they hatched on. Coral gains limited prophecy, and Kamara rudimentary mindreading. Since there is no skyfire at this time, Starlight can break through any mental shield should she wish to do so.  
**Before the fall of the ChangeWing kingdom:**  
Starlight is not a pivotal figure, though with her NightWing powers, quick shapeshifting, and small amount of soulfire it is believed she is being groomed as a spy, and that is why she is allowed such free reign to visit other Pyrrhian kingdoms and experience their cultures as she does with her friend group. Most often it is Tyrone and Kamara she adventures with, since Coral is required in the palace with her position and magic, and the council does not want to risk her abduction or assassination should another tribe learn of her existence (according to her abilities). During the attack, Starlight finds Coral dying from internal injuries and trapped beneath rock. She offers and tries to use her small reserve of soulfire to save her bondmate, but is sent away by Coral and enters one of Queen Olivine's portals just as the subterranean levels of the mountain palace explode, killing the dragons behind her including the queen. Having escaped the palace, Starlight cloaks herself for days to search the battlefield for any of the remaining royal family besides the younger princess. She finds neither, though whether that is from the acres of carnage or their escape is uncertain. (Having drained her magic supply to cloak herself, she cannot use a soulfire spell to find them.)  
**Interim 2000 years and awakening:**  
Starlight chooses not to remain with her tribe in stasis, continuing to live in various kingdoms as a spy. Using soulfire, she makes an adjustment to Synthia's stasis-charm that will wake her whenever she has a long-term vision of certain requirements. As a result, by the time of Darkstalker's War Starlight is arguably older than even Synthia in terms of how much time she was out of stasis. Starlight learns a great deal during this period, adjusting to changing customs and occasionally minorly altering a course of events. In the two centuries or so before the return of the ChangeWing tribe, she begins to assemble a collective of dragons from across the tribes to serve as a new ChangeWing council. Using bursts of soulfire to refuel Synthia's charm - a spell that would take much more magic to replicate than renew - Starlight keeps the dragonets under stasis with a linked mental realm that they can choose to enter and interact with one another. During the periods of stasis Starlight takes, she teaches the dragonets individually and collectively to prepare them for their future roles, and is able to make "simulations" for scenarios that they cannot physically experience while in stasis - leadership, hunting, combat, diplomacy. The first dragonet dies young, accidentally awakening themselves and being unaware of reality vs a dream state, due to several errors on Starlight's initial mental plane. Near the end of the Twenty Years' War, Starlight is confronted by Kamara and successfully kills her former bondmate in a justice duel, knowing Kamara's role in the destruction of the ChangeWing kingdom. Having come to despise Darkstalker for his role in the ChangeWing annihilation, Starlight herself is killed after his awakening, though she is revived in a reanimated state by Coral shortly after the events of Darkstalker's War. With Coral's help, she brings her pupils out of their stases and chooses to remain as a spirit to guide the tribe for however long she sees fit and necessary - a period of no more than two hundred years, by stipulation of Coral's magic.

 **Kamara**  
**Description, lineage, and abilities:**  
Arguably the main antagonist other than Darkstalker, and daughter of noble parents influential in the council. Mainform SkyWing with extreme speed as her 'fjre, copper-red scales, and lime green eyes. In her bonding with Coral and Starlight, Kamara receives short-range mindreading and limited soulfire.  
**Before the fall of the ChangeWing kingdom:**  
Kamara's mild soulfire and mindreading was not enough for a spy position, and with her family's influence instead trains to command a wing in the ChangeWing military. She practices her incredible speed, a mix of her SkyWing mainform and 'fjre, in flying reconnaissance whenever her friend group takes a trip. Despite her abilities, Kamara feels like the left-out bondmate between Coral and Starlight's magics and their easy association with the royal dragonets, and begins to grow jealous of Starlight and Tyrone's close relationship. During her visit to the Sky Kingdom with Tyrone, she mentally overhears a group of SkyWings plotting the downfall of the ChangeWing kingdom and remains in contact with them, feeding them information about ChangeWing defenses in exchange for amnesty towards mainform SkyWings - specifically Tyrone and herself. During the attack on the mountain, she leads a wing of SkyWings with dragonflame castus bombs to the depths of the palace after SkyWing leadership changes their deal and demands her direct involvement in her kingdom's destruction in exchange for the ChangeWing prince's life. Kamara is unable to find Tyrone in the fighting or convince the SkyWings to search for him after they take her prisoner as a "ruse" to avoid the scrutiny of other tribes.  
**Interim 2000 years and awakening:**  
After being flown back to the Sky Kingdom with several other ChangeWing prisoners, Kamara finds herself merely a captive with a slightly better situation. Queen Carmine honors the SkyWing agreement with Kamara, giving her a small room away from the main palace and largely allowing her free reign as long as she does not leave the mountains the palace is on. Kamara is often sent to interrogate her (former) tribemates herself with her mindreading ability, and quickly rumors spread of her betrayal, labeling her turncoat and enemy of the ChangeWing state. After a few years of this, Kamara uses her speed to escape the SkyWing palace and quickly erects a stasis chamber deep underground, seals it with soulfire, and uses Sythia's charm.  
The charm runs out near the end of the Twenty Years' War, far longer than Kamara anticipated, and she finds no trace of ChangeWing existence as prisoners in the Sky Kingdom or otherwise beyond a few references to a "Battle of Cheyenne Mountain", a place which has not existed on maps in any of the several hundred years they go back. Assuming her tribe entirely destroyed and not realizing nearly two thousand years have passed, Kamara decides to ingratiate herself with the current SkyWing queen as a mindreading NightWing (still ignorant of the depth of NightWing mystique in this time, but remembering from her days in SkyWing court the sudden disappearance of the tribe), and finds she is trapped in her mainform. She spends a couple months on the surface, disguising herself with soulfire and protective spells as she can, and eventually feels a pull through her bond which leads her to an ancient Starlight who has simmered her anger of betrayal quietly for centuries. Mindreading and spells useless against her former bondmate, she fights a justice duel with nothing beyond her natural defenses and extreme speed and is killed. As Synthia's last order, Kamara is briefly reanimated by Coral for a trial by the new ChangeWing council, which again finds her guilty of multiple counts of treason. Her spirit form is dismissed after a conversation with Coral, the only friend who had forgiven her in the long years.

\---

_Follow my yellow light and ignore all those big, warning signs.  
It was a thousand to one and a million to two/Time to go down in flames and I'm taking you.  
We've come too far to pretend that we don't, don't miss where we started.  
Did you fall for the same empty answers again?  
No, I'm not saying I'm sorry, one day maybe we'll make it.  
And as the world comes to an end I'll be here to hold your hand, but you're a king and I'm a lionheart._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The moral of this story is . . literally nobody comes out on top in a no-win scenario, including the collaborators?  
> Azalea is stuck in a form with associated negative memories, and dies tragically without seeing another ChangeWing. Synthia lives an exceptionally long time, sees everything she never wanted, loses her faith in dragonity and dies tragically. Kamara betrays everyone and eventually dies by karma slightly less tragically. Tyrone spends the better portion of his lifespan stuck in stasis and dies tragically. Coral lives two thousand years as a ghost and never dies, tragically. Starlight spends several centuries not-dying and trying to get a working government for her tribe, becomes a weapon of karma, and is reanimated after she's killed . . tragically.  
> There's definitely a trend.

**Author's Note:**

> Some Changewing specs: most dragons can switch between a few forms, but usually not all of them, depending on how many tribes they are genetically related to. Therefore it isn't a given for a dragon to be hybrid when they have parents from different tribes, though this can happen, usually in an inherited mainform. Dragons almost always have a preferred form, whether that be for appearances, abilities, feeling of their true self, etc. A rare ability, requiring high concentration and much training, lets individuals demonstrate parts of several forms at a time.  
> Another ability of this Pyrrhian/Lost Continent genetics cross is the sharing of powers through bonding. Usually this happens in groups of two to five dragonet close friend groups. (Which, hindsight, like moirallegiance in Homestuck with some magic diced in.) I'll expound upon this in the following chapter comments, or add it to the character/world details specified one.


End file.
